Philip F. McGovern

Partner

An accomplished and experienced commercial practitioner, Phil McGovern combines his strong and diverse business background to provide clients pathways to successful conclusions of complex matters. He also brings a proven ability to serve as outside general corporate counsel to a wide range of companies, varying in size and industry, providing guidance in formation, financing, contractual negotiation, acquisitions/dispositions, succession planning and litigation.

In addition to high-level legal work, Phil is also a central player in governance and management at Tanenbaum Keale.

Phil’s practice includes both transactional and litigated matters. He has assisted several large organizations in significant development projects, including large real estate ventures, across the United States. He also regularly facilitates negotiations in the disposition of assets and is well versed in commercial leasing and financing matters, including traditional lending and corporate trust work.

In the litigation arena, Phil has successfully handled a full range of legal proceedings on behalf of large healthcare organizations, real estate entities, small to mid-cap companies and shareholders of closely held corporations.

Prior to entering private practice, Phil completed a clerkship with the Hon. Alfred M. Wolin in the Superior Court of New Jersey.

Bar Admissions
• New Jersey

Court Admissions
• U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey


  • Negotiated a 300,000-square-foot warehouse lease for a national beer distributor
  • Negotiated a 120,000-square-foot commercial office lease for a worldwide telecommunications company
  • Negotiated a 75,000-square-foot commercial office lease for a regional law firm
  • Facilitated a $27 million stock and asset sale of a transportation company
  • Facilitated a $5 million asset acquisition of an insurance company
  • Facilitated a $76 million combined stock and asset sale of a petroleum wholesale and distribution business
  • Facilitated a $19 million stock sale of a financial services corporation with stock options in acquiring a corporation valued up to $10 million
  • Facilitated a $10 million stock purchase of a plastics corporation
  • Facilitated a $55 million stock sale of a chemical corporation
  • Facilitated a $5 million stock sale of a pyrotechnic corporation
  • Facilitated a $8 million acquisition of assets of a fire suppression system corporation
  • Facilitated a $4 million asset sale of a wholesale buying cooperative
  • Served as counsel to a large, national insurance company on various loans to commercial borrowers (aggregate loan amount in excess of $500 million)
  • Served as counsel to a large bank in connection with various real estate workouts and restructuring of loans to borrowers (aggregate loan amount in excess of $100 million)
  • Served as counsel to a large, national insurance company in connection with loans to various commercial borrowers (aggregate amount of over $100 million)
  • Served as general real estate counsel to two Fortune 200 corporations
  • Served as bond counsel to a municipal utility entity (bond par amounts in excess of $300 million)
  • Served as bond counsel to two different municipalities with bond par amounts in excess of $10 million in both cases
  • Served as corporate trust counsel to multiple national and regional banks with bond par amounts in excess of $2 billion
  • Served as underwriter’s counsel to multiple large, international banks with bond par amounts in excess of $250 million
  • Served as corporate counsel to a financial subsidiary in the acquisition of numerous properties along the Eastern seaboard, financings with various lenders and general corporate representation
  • Served as corporate counsel to more than a dozen mid-cap companies in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania
  • American Bar Foundation, Fellow, 2016-present
  • Hudson County Chamber of Commerce, 2005-present
    • Chair
    • Board of Directors
  • Saint Peter’s Preparatory High School, Jersey City, New Jersey, 2004-present
    • Chairman
    • Board of Trustees
  • Township of Nutley Planning Board, 1998-2016
    • Chairman
  • Jersey City Economic Development Corporation, 2014-present
    • Board of Directors
  • Supreme Court of New Jersey District V-C Ethics Committee, 2006-present
    • Former Secretary
  • New Jersey State Bar Association
    • Banking Law Section
  • American Bar Association
  • Essex County Bar Association
  • Hudson County Bar Association
  • Law Influencer, ROI-NJ, 2022, 2024
  • Influencers Power List, ROI-NJ, 2019-2021, 2023, 2025
  • Leaders in Law, NJBIZ, 2021
  • Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation, 2013-2025
  • Best Lawyers in America, Corporate Law, 2013-2025
  • Best Lawyers in America, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, 2013-2025
    • Mergers and Acquisitions Law Lawyer of the Year, 2016, 2023 – Newark (2016, 2023)
  • Distinguished Graduate Award, Seton Hall University School of Law, 2022
  • Iconic Leadership Award, Hudson County Chamber of Commerce, 2021
  • New Jersey's Irish American Leaders, Insider NJ, 2018-2020
  • Legends of Prep Award, Saint Peter's Prep, 2018
  • Visionary Leadership Award, New Jersey City University, 2017
  • Hero Award, Team Walker, 2016
  • “Title of publication/presentation," The Jersey City Summit for Real Estate Investment, June 2021
  • "Taking Care of Business – The Path to Prosperity," NJBIA Public Policy Forum, December 2018
  • "Building Upgrades: Adapting Today’s Office Space for Tomorrow’s Challenges," RETHINK Office of the Future: New York Conference, September 2018
  • "The 'Interrelated Wrongful Acts' Provision: 6 Degrees of Separation," USLAW Professional Liability Exchange, May 2018
  • "Real Estate Finance: What Property Managers Need to Know for Property Management Operations Today," International Real Estate Management Conference: Connecting Bridges and Borders in Real Estate Property Management, May 2018
  • "Ethical Dilemmas and Issues of Duty for Real Estate Lawyers," Office of Attorney Ethics, March 2015
  • “Ethical Issues in Real Estate Transactions,” Ethics for Transactional and Other Attorneys Seminar, New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, November 2014
  • "Reinventing Urban New Jersey," Hudson County Chamber of Commerce Annual Government Affairs Forum, October 2014
  • J.D., Seton Hall University School of Law (1984)
  • B.A., Saint Michael’s College (1980)